MOSCOW: A Russian silver medalist from the London Olympic Games risks being disqualified from athletics for life and stripped of her medal after failing a doping test, a news report said on Thursday.
Discus thrower Darya Pishchalnikova — already sanctioned in a major probe that led to the disqualification of six other Russians in 2008 — failed the test of a sample taken before the Games, the Sport Express daily said.
It said her A-sample had tested negative — allowing her to compete at the Games — but the B-sample, which was tested later in a German laboratory showed the presence of a banned steriod.
The Russian Anti-Doping Agency confirmed that traces of an oral anabolic steroid had been detected in Pishchalnikova’s B-sample.
“The first test was negative (for the presence of steroids) while the second unearthed traces of a banned substance,” Russian Anti-Doping Agency director Nikita Kamayev told the ITAR-TASS news agency.
But the head of the Russian Athletics Federation criticized the media for reporting the story before any information had been formally released by either the Russian or international sports authorities.
“I do not understand how this information, which is confidential, could have reached the press,” Russian federation chief Valentin Balakhnichyov told ITAR-TASS.
“Unfortunately, we get lots of cases like this,” he added in reference to media leaks about athletes using performance enhancing drugs.
“These stories should not be made public until the relevant authorities decide on the matter,” he insisted Balakhnichyov refused to personally confirm his athlete’s drug use and urged reporters “two wait another two weeks” for the full investigation to finish.
Pishchalnikova, 27, finished behind Croatia’s Sandra Perkovic and ahead of China’s Yanfeng Li in the discus event.
Cuba’s Yarelys Barrios, who could potentially pick up third place if the Russian is disqualified, finished fourth. Pishchalnikova had already served a ban for manipulating test samples.
Russian Olympic medalist tests positive
